Levitation control of experimental wing-in-ground effect vehicle along Y and Z axes and about three axes

We develop a levitation stabilization control method for the “Aero-Train,” a high-speed, high-efficiency aerodynamic levitated train system. Levitation is achieved through the wing-in-ground effect that acts in a U-shaped guideway. In this paper, the modeling and controller design of an Aero-Train prototype along the Y and Z axes and about the roll, pitch, and yaw axes are illustrated. The development of a small Aero-Train prototype and experimental results that confirmed the effectiveness of the designed controller are also described.